Passive solar heating systems have come into vogue for utilizing heat concentrated within a given area as a result of solar radiation for providing either primary or supplemental heating to a building interior during bright sunny days. The heat energy is absorbed by the building interior and transferred to moving air either by way of a thermal siphonic loop or by way of a duct system employing an electrical motor powered blower for circulating the air between the space in which the solar energy is absorbed and the various rooms of the building to be heated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,573 discloses one type of prior solar heater in which a pyramidal solar heater is formed of translucent heat absorbing plastic material or the like. A spaced, smaller pyramidal structure interiorly of the first forms with the outer pyramidal structure dual air flow paths, whereby heated air may be moved out of the pyramidal solar heater downwardly into a room or enclosure underlying the same. Such structures are expensive, require modification of existing buildings or the incorporation of expensive additions within new building structures in order to achieve such circulation loop and to create a space wherein the sunlight may be absorbed and concentrated prior to transmission into the occupied rooms of the building.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,825 is representative of a solar heated building in which a solar window is provided within the south facing roof section and wherein attic interior air heated by the solar radiation is ducted to an occupied room by ducts passing through the dwelling ceiling. A horizontal wall divides the attic interior into an upper plenum chamber and a lower plenum chamber. Air is heated in the upper plenum chamber by solar radiation, conveyed to the rooms of the dwelling, while cooler air is returned to the upper plenum chamber from the rooms for reheating purposes. During hot weather, heated air is allowed to escape from the top of the upper plenum which, in turn, draws warm air out of the lower plenum into the upper plenum, thereby allowing cooler outside air to be drawn into the lower plenum. As such, the south facing roof requires modification by the presence of the translucent or transparent solar window, the interior of the attic is separated into two plenum chambers, the blower or forced air means is within the duct remote from the attic, and multiple separate ducts feeding the separated upper and lower plenum chambers which complicates the system.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a compact, unitary passive solar heating pack assembly for mounting within an existing building attic for ready suspension at the apex thereof, wherein the building needs no modification, and wherein all of the components including the control elements, the hot air ducts and diffusers for mounting within the occupied room ceilings and opening to the room interiors are integrated to the pack assembly.